Fundraising: St. Sebastian Parish Center

This is where I played a lot of sports as a kid and back in the day it was the place we all hung out. It was a safe place to be and you got to hang with your friends.

Link for website is here

The Story

Dear Friends,

Our beloved St. Sebastian Parish Center is in dire need of financial assistance. The Parish Center relies heavily on memberships as a source of revenue.  With traditional health clubs popping up all around our building the competition is fierce.  This has had an impact on revenue to the point that the Parish Center ran at a deficit of $294,000 in 2015.  In addition the Parish Center has an immediate need for an urgent repair to its core infrastructure in the pool area.  The pool is critical to the survival of the building as it, along with the gymnasium, is what separates the facility from the competition.    If we don’t take action soon we are in jeopardy of losing the Parish Center.

Father Abels and Harry Connor have put together a committee that has worked diligently on a plan that will allow for the building to remain serving our community well beyond this, its 49th year.  The plan to save the Parish Center comes down to two key initiatives.

1. Immediate Fund Raising – The dehumidification system for the Swimming Pool area needs to be replaced immediately. The longer we go without a fully functional dehumidification system, the more damage that is done to the structural integrity of that portion of the building.  We have lined up the vendors required for supplying and installing the system.  However, we need the funding to initiate the project.
2. Year Over Year Financial Stability – The committee is engaging on initiatives that will increase revenues and reduce operational costs. We are highly confident that we can reduce the annual operating deficit to less than $99,000.   Father Abels has confirmed that this is an amount that the Church can continue to support for years to come.  However, our goal is to bring the facility as close to a zero dollar deficit as possible.

Right now our focus needs to be on the first item, the fundraising effort for the dehumidification system for the swimming pool.  If we had to close the pool for any extended period of time it would have a devastating financial impact.  In order to avoid losing the use of the pool, or worse the Parish Center itself, we need to raise $1,000,000 as quickly as possible.  Many people would consider this to be an unreachable goal.  However, for people who grew up in and around Woodside, we know this is achievable.  Our parents and grandparents undertook similar fund raising efforts to build the Parish Center.  The Parish of St. Sebastian went through similar efforts for the restoration of the Church in the mid 90’s.  We are confident that we will once again come together for this worthy cause.

It can be argued that the Parish Center is the most important building in our Parish.  It is a facility that is relied on by everyone in our community from the youngest to the oldest.  It is a great facility for our Sports Programs, giving the children of the community a safe place to participate in organized programs.  Our seniors meet in the Parish Center weekly, giving them the opportunity to socialize with friends and to enjoy so many activities.  Please donate today.

You can donate in the following two ways.

1. Mail a check made Payable to St. Sebastian Parish Center to:

St. Sebastian Parish Center
c/o Harry Connor
39-60 57th Street
Woodside, NY 11377

1. Visit https://www.youcaring.com/sspc and click on the donate button.

We are confident we will achieve our goals.  So confident that preparations are underway for our Parish Center 50th Anniversary Gala that will take place in 2018.  If you make a donation of $1,000.00 or more you will receive a complimentary ticket to this sure to be exciting event.

Thank you for your time, your consideration, and your support.  We look forward to seeing you around the Parish Center in the near future.

Regards,

The Parish Center Fund Raising Committee
Dan Connor, Rob McKenna, Mike Moore, Kenny Hellmann